Vitto Marquez gives his all

MANILA, Philippines — Like most young people born to showbiz royalty, Vitto Marquez — son of Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno — is proud of his heritage. But he also wants to move out of his famous parents’ shadow and make a name for himself.

The 22-year-old Hashtags member is showing signs that he was born to dance up a storm like Alma, who in her heyday made viewers stop and stare at her show-stopping numbers.

To Vitto, the dance floor is a wonderland. The minute he’s on it, Vitto is a man transformed.

“I feel free,” he beams.

He can be happy, sad, even sexy.

Feeling sexy, explains Vitto, is something that can come naturally to everyone.

But dancers have the knack for playing up their sexy side when they let their bodies do the talking for them.

“You can’t be a dancer if you don’t have a sexy side,” Vitto points out. “You must love your body.”

Loving his body and letting it have a life of its own on stage have opened big doors of opportunity to the previously shy guy who shunned attention.

“Dancing in It’s Showtime (the ABS-CBN noontime variety show) made me gain confidence. It allowed me to talk before the microphone.”

Talking before the microphone now comes naturally for Vitto. He doesn’t skip a beat as he describes his role in his second film, the youth-oriented Petmalu, which opens in cinemas nationwide on Sept. 5.

Albert, Vitto’s character, is the opposite of what he is in real life. In real life, Alma describes her son as “as open book,” ready to share his thoughts and feelings with others. Vitto’s Twitter and Instagram accounts are alive with posts about whatever he’s doing — a mall show, TV guesting, etc.

But Vitto wants to make it clear that he thinks before he clicks. He chooses what he posts.

Vitto’s character, on the other hand, isolates himself, even from family and friends.

Putting himself in a complete stranger’s shoes was a big challenge for Vitto. But he’s proud of his work in Petmalu. It’s good training for Vitto, who wants to take on as many assignments as he can.

These — and his other dreams, like directing a film the way his late grandfather, Artemio “Temyong” Marquez did — inspire Vitto to wake up before the sun rises and leave the home he shares with Alma in Parañaque at 5:30 a.m.

He braves the three-to-four-hour traffic going to ABS-CBN in Quezon City every day. But Vitto doesn’t mind. He wants a career that will define him, not in terms of who his parents are, but what he can do.

In so doing, Vitto is laying the groundwork for a future he can always be proud of.